Father Figure
by SapphireNight
Summary: What did Nessa really think of Elphaba when at Shiz? Her mind deluded, she wrote a letter to their Father, who arrives at Shiz just after ‘Popular’ to get some answers from his eldest, and most disappointing daughter, Elphaba. Oneshot.


Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, not Elphaba, not Nessa, not even their father. They belong to those who have created the musical, I have just borrowed the idea, and written my own scene between Popular and the second classroom scene.

I have a new and swankified website for my fanfictions! As well as having the fanfics, they have all kinda of extra material, extended and alternate chapters, 'Hot Updates' blog which details anything new comming, and when its comming, and stuff like facts about characters, etc! It should be really exciting, I've put a lot of effort into its creation, please, check it out. You can find it as my 'homepage', and there are more details in my profile.

Please note that the rating is for the parental relationship between Elphaba and her father, lets just say that they weren't very close.

* * *

"Why, look at you, Miss Elphaba. You're beautiful!"

Elphaba took the mirror from her smiling room mate with shaking hands. Galinda was gazing at her with anticipation, with expectancy. With also a little bit of hope, she noted.

Elphaba looked down into the mirror, but saw only herself. With a sudden jolt, she realised that her emerald face wasn't the only one, staring back at her from the cold glass. There was the reflection of a man, standing just outside the dorm window. It was the figure of her father.

Elphaba pushed the finely decorated mirror back into the hands of its owner and rushed from the room, a feeble "I have to go," lingering behind her.

As she emerged outside, she felt the pang of the cool night air hit her, and she wrapped her arms around her defensively. Frex regarded his eldest daughter with a mix of anger and disgust. The governor of Munchkin Land had come to pay a visit.

"What, in Oz _name_, do you think you have been doing?" he asked, his voice quivering with rage.

Elphaba's mouth opened and closed wordlessly in shocked silence. Frex Thropp lashed out with sudden ferocity, ripping out the pink flower hair slide from his daughter's hair and throwing it to the ground behind her.

"I didn't send you here so you could play dress-up. With your connections, your _complexion_… What do you think you are doing, gaudy flowers in your hair, exposing your arms and chest, as if your hideous face and hands weren't enough. And… _is that lipstick?_"

Elphaba quickly rubbed her lips with the back of her hand. She glanced back up at her fathers enraged face.

"I was at a party," she protested. "My roommate-"

"A _party?_" Frex whispered in disbelief. "The first time you are out of my sight, and you go gallivanting off to party?"

"It's not like that, Father. You know I would never go normally. It was Galinda, my room mate, Father. She tricked me."

"And after 18 years, you still fell for it?"

"She had set Nessa up with a date, Father. She was overjoyed; she wouldn't stop talking about him, and what a time she would have at the ball. She told me to give Galinda a chance, she told me to trust her. And then she comes up to me with this gift. What was I supposed to do, Father, after what Nessa had told me? I gave her a chance, I took her word. I didn't have anything else to wear. It's a party, a ball. You're supposed to wear a dress or even ball gown, I believe. Something with short sleeves, something which shows the figure, I thought. This dress is the only thing I have. In the end, it didn't matter that I was wearing that hideous hat. Yes, it was a trick, but she came through in the end, Father. She may be a bit half witted and more interested in her image, but she is a nice girl, its not her fault."

"I don't care whether she is a 'nice girl' or not, that's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here?" Elphaba asked, her curiosity overcoming her.

Frex scowled as he withdrew a letter from his pocket, and thrust it into her hand. Elphaba instantly recognised her sister's loopy scrip.

_Dearest Father,_

_I know I wrote to you a few days ago when we arrived, but I see no reason for me not to write so soon to my Father, I know you wanted to hear from me as frequently as possible._

_I'm sorry to have to dampen your mood, but I have been feeling so awful of late, and I knew that you would always help. There is something I neglected to tell you in my previous letter. It's not Elphaba's fault, but when we arrived, we were split up. It seems that the university didn't know of her coming too, so they were a room short, and she had to end up sharing with someone else. I'm staying with the headmistress herself, she ever so kindly agreed to help me and house me in her private quarters. I'm not quite sure of the headmistress, she seems nice enough, but she's different when she's not around others, but then again, she hasn't failed to help me (though she is a bit inexperienced, but that's to be expected. I doubt she's used to hauling students in and out of wheelchairs). Madame Morrible has been very generous to me, and I couldn't be more appreciative, but it's Elphaba that I am writing to you because of._

_I know it sounds crazy, but I'm getting worried that she thinks I'm pulling her down. I told you last letter that she let her powers go again, didn't I? Truth is, it happened when Madame Morrible was wheeling me to her room. Elphaba got jealous, I think. But what I cant get out of my head, Father, is what happened earlier today. Elphaba detests her roommate- with a passion, its quite amusing to watch actually. But I think she hates her because she replaced me as her roommate. Elphaba's getting a bit too protective of me, but she's started really going all out against this girl, even though she's not too bad._

_This Galinda, she's the sweetest girl there is, Father! I cant tell you how, but she has been such a great help to me, and Elphaba just seems to hate her more. I've tried to tell her not to, about how kind she's been to be, but she wont listen. I am deeply worried that Elphaba will drive her away. You know how hard it is for me to make friends in my condition, and I have one- several, actually, thanks to Galinda, but she's likely to drive them away, and I cant stand that, not now._

_Please Father, I'm not sure what to do. I've tried talking to Elphaba, but she's as strong willed as usual. __Please, I need your support._

_Your most loving daughter,_

_Nessarose_

Elphaba's expression grew from confused to surprised, pleasantly curious then amazed and bewildered, worried, downhearted, then deeply upset. Nessa's handwriting had become scruffier and scruffier as the letter wore on, as if she wrote in haste and anger, as her thoughts (and beliefs?) flooding onto the page. So, that was what Father was doing here, and_ that_ exactly that was what her sister thought of her._ So I'm the one getting self centred? Look whose writing!_ Elphaba could barely believe that her father was so insensitive to show her such a letter with the true feelings of her sister, but then again, he never cared much for her anyway.

Elphaba looked up from the letter, and tried to compose herself. She was deeply hurt by what her sister had written, but there was no way in hell she would let that show. Her father would only put that down to ingratitude or insolence. After all, what kind of daughter was she?

"Father, I, I don't know what to say. She's getting this all wrong. Some of it she's imagining, she-"

"Are you accusing your sister of lying?" Frex whispered dangerously.

Elphaba looked up quickly "No, no- not at all. I'm just saying that Nessa sounds confused. She sounds… homesick. I don't think it was her main intention, but she wanted to see you again. I took her advice about my roommate. I made it up with Galinda just earlier. Father, she annoyed me at first because of her perky personality and obvious distain for me, not for any reason involving Nessa. I got upset when Morrible took Nessa away because I had given you my word that _I_ would look after her, that's what I've done my whole life, how could I not have become upset when she was taken away? Father, I swear I'm still looking after Nessa, and I took her advice when she told me about Galinda. Against my better judgment, I did what she said. Yes, its my fault that I was gullible enough to believe Galinda at that point, but I had a good reason to, and Galinda's made it up to me. What Nessa's written in that letter doesn't apply any more."

"Stop, just stop. I don't want to hear this any more. I'm going to find your sister and comfort her. I hope you do the same in the morning. And please, will you learn to shut up once in a while." Frex Thropp turned his heel, and without so much as a backward glance or goodbye to his eldest daughter, went off to find his youngest, and most precious daughter.

Elphaba just looked at his retreating form, and slumped against the wall of the building with exhaustion. There was a tapping at the window, and Galinda slid it open, sticking her head out.

"Elphaba, are you okay? Who was that man, what did he want?"

"Don't worry, Galinda, that was my father. He was just giving me an unexpected _warm_ greeting, as he usually does."

"Oh, okay," Galinda called back, absentmindedly "I'm going to close this window now, its letting the cold air in." she gave a moments pause, her hand on the window latch. "Elphie, its really utterly freezing out there. Come back in before you kill yourself, I can't believe you're not even wearing sleeves. Come on, Elphie, its too cold, come in." With a light smile, she closed the window, and drew the curtains. Elphaba sighed and leaned away from the wall, her weight back on her own feet again.

Walking back to the building entrance, she paused as she passed the pretty pink hair pin, now covered in dirt and mud. She crouched down and scooped it up, cradling it in her hands. Once inside the building, she knocked on her room door, and Galinda opened it gleefully, her face bright as she jingled Elphaba's set of keys in front of her. "You forgot them again!" Elphaba resisted the urge to roll her eyes and gave her a forged smile in return. After all, this was her first friend, she had better learn to just accept Galinda's perkiness or just grit her teeth and bare through it.

One hand closed around the pink flower, so its original owner wouldn't see, Elphaba retrieved a long slender pair of pliers and metal stick from her draw. Ignoring Galinda's curious and disbelieving glances, Elphaba locked herself in the bathroom and placed the flower in the sink. Cautiously, she turned on the tap, and picked up the flowers with the pliers. Placing it under the stream of water, she used the metal stick to probe the petals away from each other, washing out any dirt from within.

After making sure the hair decoration was completely clean, she then cleaned her own hands with an old rag and some oil, and laid the pliers and probe under the sink, for the next time she might need to interact with water.

Cupping the precious flower in her hands again, Elphaba made her way back into the shared bedroom, and placed the pretty pink thing on top of her book on the night stand. Slipping out of her one and only dress, she pulled on a faded night gown and climbed into bed, wishing her room mate pleasant dreams, and silently thanking her for her charity, her first ever present.

"Goodnight Elphie."

"Goodnight Galinda"_ the Good._


End file.
